


Love Crime [Writer’s Block]

by APastandFutureNerd



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Deaths, Crime Scenes, Don’t copy to another site, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Murder, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Post-Fall (Hannibal), Violence, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-11-02 03:49:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20612642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APastandFutureNerd/pseuds/APastandFutureNerd
Summary: What if Will and Hannibal survive the fall and the ex-FBI agent joins his former nemesis, leaving his old life behind? This is a story about their escape , their lives and their relationship after the plunge into the Atlantic, the events of the final episode of the "Wrath of the lamb" until Clarice Starling enters the stage.Hannibal and Will must face the memories, their bitter resentments and betrayals of their mutual past and find their way into a new life, slaying new Dragons together. But the FBI never sleeps. Jack Crawford, put under pressure, is fighting hard to catch both Hannibal Lecter and his fallen protégée to put an end to this chase in the dark for once and for all. He sends another ambitious FBI trainee, Clarice Starling, down the rabbit hole to catch a new killer on the loose and the murder husbands.Can the murder husbands evade capture and what will happen when they meet the new agent?ON TEMPORARY HOLD





	1. Darkness, Blood and Water

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> I do not own these characters. They belong to Thomas Harris and the creators of the TV show.
> 
> —————————————————
> 
> Hello!
> 
> I uploaded the fic a while ago but I was not content with the outcome. Originally I wanted to include a love triangle into this fic but I currently dislike it a lot so I’ve changed the plot a bit.
> 
> ———————
> 
> Update :
> 
> I’m sorry for all of you but my writing energy is kind of at a very low level and I don’t have any ideas anymore.
> 
> It’s now currently on hiatus.
> 
> Thanks for your understanding.!

[](https://imgbb.com/)

Darkness. Blood. Water. That's all what Will Graham knew he was surrounded with after their final jump off the cliff. Although they lay in each other's arms while falling down into the ocean together, they now were separated as the waves pulled them down beneath the surface. Will closed his eyes before colliding with the pitch-black sea , gasping when he hit the water with full force.The cold and salty water of the Atlantic was merciless and burned his skin and all of his severe wounds he had suffered from the fight to death with the Red Dragon. Earlier he had been ready to give his life to stop this game forever. If he didn't survive he would at least die in the vast and cold ocean and finally find some peace. But now as Will realised that he was still alive the survival instincts kicked in and he was fully awake, his body and mind yearning for survival at any cost.The waves were trying to crush Will's body against the eroded wall of rocks but with every muscle in his arms and legs he desperately tried to avoid the wall, struggling to bring himself back to the surface.

Will coughed as his head pushed through the surface and felt a shiver going through his body while his eyes tried to peer through the night and the raging sea meanwhile ignoring the fact that the low temperatures would paralyse his body within minutes. If he took too long, it was all over. Where was Hannibal? He couldn't spot him anywhere near him. A part of him hoped he would have died but the other part hoped he would live. His feelings for that man would always remain ambiguous. _Can't live with him, can't live without him. Is that what it is?_ Bedelias voice echoed in his mind.

But right now time was slowly running out and the chances of survival were decreasing minute by minute. So Will finally took a deep breath and with the last strength that was left in him he dived down into the deep water below the surface hoping that he was not too late, hoping secretly he would not find a lifeless Hannibal floating to the bottom of the ocean. He could feel his lungs choking for air but Will kept pushing on, desperately looking for any sign of him. But he didn't see anything the further he looked, the more he immersed himself into the darkness of the sea. No sign of Hannibal anywhere.

Will gave up on looking for him, pushing himself desperately back to the surface against his initial wish, his body exhausted from the battle with the untamed force of nature. His strength was failing him as he struggled to swim near one the rocks. It was too late and he couldn't do anything about it. So this is how it's going to end after all, Will thought wearily while his body started to sink to the bottom of the sea again. It was over. A small consolation.He closed his eyes while water filled his lungs and everything faded to black. In his mind, he drowned in a sea of blood. He didn't see the sailboat behind him, hear the splash of someone jumping into the water, nor felt the arm reaching out for his body.

"Will? Will!" A deep, mesmerising and warm voice tore Will from his unconscious state and the next thing he saw was that he was lying aboard the deck of a small sailboat, his body drenched in blood, breathing shallowly,coughing out water while a familiar-looking man kneeled beside him. Will finally managed to open his eyes and stared back at that face which could be compared to God looking down at him, piercing the dark veil in front of his eyes with a radiant light. It was Hannibal indeed who woke him up.

He opened his eyes. „H-Hannibal?" Will hissed barely audible, breathing fast, surprised at the rescue. "I'm alive?" Hannibal looked at him intensively before he answered. "Yes. Luckily Chiyoh and I were able to find you just in time before I thought I would lose you to the sea forever."

Hannibal couldn't help himself but smirk for a moment while his eyes rested at his former nemesis now lying all bloodied and vulnerable on deck below his feet. For some seconds he gloated inwardly on the fact that Will was marked as his forever. After all the struggles with helping him embrace his murderous side and all the agonizing, he finally got him where he wanted him to be. He was changed. Accepting his inner darkness at last. Broken by the inflicted trauma, the shards were placed together into something new. Something glorious. Into a dangerous and unpredictable beast whose becoming was coming to its peak.

"Why did you save me?" Will spat out, partly angrily, partly confused. "You should have let me die." He quickly looked away, too embarrassed to admit his complex feelings for the man he had chased, despised but also admired in the last few years of his former life as profiler.

That confident smile faded away as fast as it had appeared on his face hearing the bitter and harsh words coming out of Will's mouth. "You would have been missed dearly, Will", he said to him coldly, with an expressionless face. "Especially from your family. Imagine their devastation."

With these words he turned around and called for Chiyoh, his former maid who was now his protector, turned free thanks to the manipulation of Will. She came out of the cabin, dressed in black, with a rifle on her back, her eyes ever vigilant and watchful. "He is alive", Hannibal told Chiyoh who was frowning, unsure what to do next. "Would you mind giving me a hand?" He asked calmly nodding towards Will who was trying to sit up against the reeling, still breathing fast and shallow. She looked distrustfully into Will's eyes, then into Hannibal's who seemed to tell her that she should trust him before making up her mind. Together they carried Will into the cabin.

The environment around him started to blur again. He wasn't sure if the blurriness came from a sedative Hannibal gave him or if it was the severity of his wounds. He tried to follow Hannibal's doing as long as he could and wondered how on earth that man was still standing given the fact that Hannibal had been been shot in the abdomen by the Dragon. Will realized that he was being undressed. A moan left his mouth when Hannibal ripped his shirt open and removed his trousers but not entirely because of his painfully throbbing wounds. He prayed his companion didn't hear it. The latter felt slightly aroused and amused. "God sees and hears everything, Will. You can't hide from him" Hannibal said with a distant look on his face, still showing resentment at the ungrateful words of Will but not without a hint of smugness in his voice.Then he started tending to the wounds on Will's face and on his chest, touching him clinically but gently. The intimacy was striking yet Will could not hold on any longer and passed out before long.


	2. Unfinished Business

**Chesapeake Bay - Cape Elizabeth, Maine ** **   
**   
A new morning dawned upon the small sailboat on the Atlantic and a strong wind was blowing against the sails. Chiyoh kept steering the boat, which belonged to Will, steadily against the roaring waves. Hannibal stood at the railing, wrapped in blankets, taking in the salty scent of the water, feeling the breeze on his face. Watching the night fade away on the horizon he contemplated about the next moves he and Will were about to make. Or rather had to make for he knew that the FBI was about to find out that their death was faked sooner or later. As long as Jack Crawford was alive there was no chance of settling down in peace and quiet.

The door of the cabin opened and a still shaken, vulnerable-looking Will, wearing a red cashmere sweater of Hannibal, joined him at the guardrail. Hannibal turned his head towards him in surprise and remarked softly: "You’re up early. Do you have nightmares again?"Will tried to smile but only managed a grimace because of the freshly stitched wound on his left cheek, then shook his head. The scar would mark his face forever, Hannibal thought to himself. Ruined for him. This was beautiful in its own way. “I was actually worried about you. What about your wounds?" His partner asked him frowning and pointing at his abdomen. Hannibal showed him his tightly wrapped bandage around the stomach beneath his shirt and replied as smoothly as he could but not without avoiding pain as he spoke: "Chiyoh and I could stop the bleeding. In fact, if it wasn’t for her, I might have bled out. Of course, it still needs to be treated. What is to be done about the bullet I simply can’t say. It must be reviewed by a professional surgeon. We can’t afford going into one of the public hospitals thanks to Jack Crawford so I suggest that we visit a private hospital with a little bit more privacy. At least that’s what I am hoping for. I know a renowned surgeon from my earlier days who now treats wealthier patients in his own hospital in Portland. We could stay there until we are physically well enough if time allows it. And then we should take care of our unfinished business before we leave our old lives behind.” Hannibal said, watching his partner for a reaction.

Will hesitated a moment, raising his eyebrows before he asked back: "And who might that business be? Ah wait, I know. Our dear Alana Bloom and Bedelia Du Maurier?" Will pursed his lips, crossing his arms on his chest. “Though I won’t join you if you’re going to kill Alana.” Hannibal nodded indifferently at his remark concerning Alana. For now he contented himself with the prospect Will staying with him. He’d manage it to bring out the darkest side in Will if he wanted to. But he discovered a glimpse of jealousy, contempt and hunger in his companion’s face as he uttered Bedelia’s name. "Not entirely. I was also thinking about your wife, Will." Hannibal answered coolly, his voice sounding more serious and hurt. It seemed he still held a grudge that Will chose someone else in his life. "You have to make your decision very soon if you want to stay with me or go back to your old life again. I will only give you one choice as soon as we leave the hospital."Will lowered his gaze as he heard these words, partly conflicted. In fact, he felt sorry for Molly and Wally as he would leave them on their own and reap Wally of a father figure again. But deep inside his heart he knew that there was no point in returning to them. He knew very well that only Hannibal could understand how he really felt and thought, being the only one who gladly accepted him, loved him, whereas he remembered all too well how Molly had called him out for his “criminal mind” when they had phoned during the chase for Francis Dolarhyde.

It would hurt to let her go but he had to. "I have already made my decision", Will answered quietly, without looking him into his eyes at first." When I realised that I was alive I knew there could be no other choice.” "You left our lives to fate." Hannibal replied. "And your love."

Will frowned at the comment. "I love you, Hannibal. You know I do." He threw a glance at his partner who was gazing mildly surprised back at him while hearing this admission, speechless for a moment. "But I need to go back to speak to her...to both to settle this.” He lowered his head again.Hannibal pursed his lips. "It really would have been best if you had not interfered with the Dragon. But I understand. It would be utmost impolite not to." Hannibal commented. Will’s face darkened at the mention of the attack and felt their tender moment was ruined.

"And there’s Freddie Lounds, the remains of Frederick Chilton and Uncle Jack, Hannibal added, his face expressionless this time. He couldn't repress a slight bitter tone in his voice as he mentioned her name. "It would have been much easier if Freddie had not made her miraculous resurrection. From the moment on when we leave the boat, everything is going to be a lot more complicated for us. They are certainly following our lead already. You know how persistent both are."

"It’s not going to be easy to deal with both."Will answered, his facial features impassive."They’re going to know it’s us if we kill Freddie too soon.I would rather use her instead of killing her off now."

Hannibal watched him attentively now, recognising the struggle in Will. "No it doesn’t have to be now. You can see it as a test. A test to leave your past behind you and embrace what you have become. There’s no hurry. We have time.", he said calmly, trying to be persuasive in every sense. "We can save Jack for a while. After all, the chase is where the hardcore fun comes from.” Hannibal tried to calm the conscience of Will.

Will pressed his lips together, gripped the guardrail tightly, his knuckles turning white. The wind hurt his freshly stitched cheek. Their conversation on the unresolved conflicts of their past, especially the betrayal he committed with Freddie Lounds, hit Will really hard as if he had been punched into the stomach. For some moments, all sorts of hurtful memories from his past life were rising to the surface in his mind palace which he thought he could finally leave behind. Abigail, bleeding out with him on the floor in Hannibal’s kitchen. The brutal head cut with the screeching saw after drawing the knife in Florence to be free of him. The torture at Muskrat farm and the resulting break up from the inflicted pain at his home.

The three years he spent with Molly, secretly thinking about Hannibal all the time despite desperately clinging on to a normal life. He saw her in front of him, beaming as he returned with his adopted dogs into their cabin in Florida. She always made the best pies and cookies. He remembered the smell of her chocolate cookies when she made a batch of them and often brought some to his bed when he couldn’t sleep, saying he could use some feeding up anyway. The memories started to blur to a fog as he touched them in his mind palace one last time. He knew there could be no such thing for him. Once he had started walking down that path there would be no return to what you could consider a normal life. There was no point in fitting in a normal family and being the ghost in the middle of the crowd.

He felt a stab of pain in his chest, vulnerable and unstable again. It seemed that some wounds required a longer period of time to heal than others and that some memories could never be removed from the depths of his soul as if they were permanent stains. Some decisions could never be unmade and deeds never be undone. Either by Hannibal or Will. Guilt and bitterness rose up in him for some seconds before he could shake it off, cursing himself for acting like a wounded prey again. Hannibal had acted not much better in the past. To hide his inner demise and the moment of weakness, he turned his face away from Hannibal and watched the rising sun instead.

"I need to trust you, Will, if you want to stay. Can I?" Hannibal asked watching how Will battled with his inner demons from the past. "Forgiveness and forgetting are not the same thing. Keep that in mind." As he uttered these last words to Will, he drew closer and laid one hand on his shoulder, the other one caressing his face carefully and with love. While he was certainly expecting to evoke the vulnerability, Will was showing to strengthen his emotional dependency on him, he could not help feeling compassion and adoration which would make it certainly very difficult for him to hurt him badly again. This was how the empath managed to change Hannibal in his own way. Step by step, all the human emotions he dreaded to feel and hid them away inside for so long, started to emerge from the deepest corners of his soul. Subtly but slowly they freed themselves from the prison they were caged in. Will was aware of the change inside of his partner as he had actually said this before when they had to part from each other in his past following their mutual betrayal. However, emotions could be treacherous and change over the course of time.

Will turned his head back to Hannibal and he enjoyed the touch of his fingers on his cold cheeks. For a moment he closed his eyes to take it all in before he finally looked back. He wished Hannibal would simply kiss him.But he didn’t. Will gritted his teeth and frowned for a moment.” I guess you can trust me as well as I can trust you. I’m sorry for everything that happened. But you weren’t exactly innocent either, you know..." A bitter tone hung in his voice.

Hannibal drew closer to Will until he could feel the breath from his lips on his own face. "No I wasn’t. But all I ever wanted for you was to embrace who you are, Will. You know that." Will wanted to open his mouth again but was interrupted by the elder man who, turning around to head to the back area of the boat, said:"There’s enough time to talk about all of this, dear Will. But it is not now. I just wanted to remind you that we need to get ready for the consequences resulting from the actions in the past. And if you don’t mind, please fetch your bag with your clothes, medicine and belongings from the cabin. We are nearly at the shore and need to hurry." Hannibal stopped in his movement, feeling the gaze of his partner on his back, turned around again and planted a soft kiss on the cheek of Will who shivered. He breathed into his ear, reciprocating the admission Will said before:"I love you,too. I always have. You’re mine." Then he headed back.

Hannibal left a bemused and conflicted Will standing at the guardrail,meeting with Chiyoh who wanted to tell them that they were about to reach their destination. The rocky shore of Cape Elizabeth was already in sight."Thank you for watching over us. I really appreciate it. Now what are you going to do? Will the bird roam free in the sky and leave its cage behind?" Her lips curled into a little smile while she eyed him and Will carefully. "The bird you set free so willingly",she looked at Will, who came back out of the cabin, directly with her dark, impenetrable eyes,"has found pleasure in a life in the wild but she will always find its back to its previous master if need be. Ready to crush anyone one who is going to betray him. Always.” If there wasn’t any of it before, Will could see the hostility in her eyes now. His face remained unimpressed as he snarled back: "Don’t worry, Chiyoh. He is as safe with me as you are with him." She let out a snort before she responded in a dismissive manner: “Only because you think you’re in love with him, it doesn’t mean I trust you. Not yet. Actions speak louder than words.” As a response, Will just said sarcastically: "Then I'm glad you haven't pushed me off the boat ", turning around to get his stuff ready. Hannibal looked quite amused from the sassiness and jealousy in the words exchanged. With that said, she threw a nasty glance at Will and got ready to strike the sails and reduce the speed of the boat before slowly advancing to the landing stage before them. Will made a decision as they got closer to the shore. He removed the wedding ring from his finger and cast it into the ocean, watching it as it disappeared in the engulfing waves of the sea.


	3. Sacrifices and Losses

**Coast House at Chesapeake Bay, Maryland ** **   
**   
Jack Crawford had played many ugly games in his career to catch notorious serial killers but the last and apparently deadly game of his protégé Will Graham to finally entrap Francis Dolarhyde left him completely at a loss. Despite his awareness of the potential outcome of the cunning ploy they engineered together, he had been willing to accept the sacrifice he was offered by him, knowing how desperately close they were to end this horror once and for all. He should not have been surprised or shocked but he was. It was 4am and he was standing on the former white but now blood-stained wooden veranda of Dr Lecter’s coast house at the cliffs of Chesapeake Bay after receiving a call from a local police man who drove by one hour earlier with additional enforcement to find out what happened to his colleagues who had accompanied Lecter and Graham in the vehicle.   
  
The Great Red Dragon had been finally slayed after what seemed a brutal battle to death, now resting in a morbidly beautiful way on the floor with his blood seeping out of his wounds taking the shape of dragon wings. Observing the crime scene with agents Zeller and Price who were now agitatedly discussing the events of the evening and the possible whereabouts of Hannibal and Will’s bodies, his thoughts were wreaking havoc inside and he barely listened to their blabbering, their voices dimmed and muffled in his ears, as if he was standing miles away from the crime scene. The only question he was mentally focusing on at the moment was whether Will’s plan did include something else next to capturing Francis Dolarhyde, having seen the empty vehicle in the roadside ditch and the dead police men on the road. Was there a possibility that he and Hannibal Lecter changed the plan? Was it possible that this was a fake-out? No, he didn’t want to believe it.   
  
He was torn abruptly from his several trains of thoughts when a slim female figure with blazing red curly hair slipped past the yellow barrier, ignoring the protests of the police officers, determinedly walking towards Jack and his agents. “Here it comes” said Jimmy Price sarcastically with a slight smirk on his lips while exchanging some amused looks with his colleague Zeller.Jack rolled his eyes, took a deep breath to preserve his last bit of inner self-control. “Jack?” he heard her call while she was only few metres away from him but he pretended to ignore her, making himself busy with looking at the crime scene before facing the inevitable conversation.   
  
"Miss Lounds? I wonder when we are finally going to see the day when you actually stay behind the official barriers and let us do our goddamn job” Jack greeted her gruffly." I think you know the answer to that question yourself, Jack."She smirked cheekily, then looking around the busy and crowded crime scene until her eyes found the dead body of Francis Dolarhyde. "Ah and by the way, you’re so welcome for all the articles I wrote for you. Especially the last one on Mr Dolarhyde.I see you finally caught the Red Dragon", she continued, her face overwhelmed with curiosity, sneaking a small camera out of her pocket while he was staring in her eyes. "Took you long enough.Or to be more accurate, it took Mr Graham and Mr Lecter a while to bring him down ", she added with a smug undertone, watching Jack Crawford’s face for a reaction who tried to repress his annoyance about her intrusion as much as he could. "I wonder where they are now? Do you know if they are still alive? Have you found their bodies?" She asked bluntly, her eyes still searching the crime scene for hints and curiosities. Jack shrugged his shoulders before he answered with a restrained irritation in his deep raspy voice. "We simply have no way of knowing. We’re investigating the situation as you can clearly see and it would be great if you didn’t obstruct us from doing our work any longer. The more you ask, the longer it takes for us to answer your questions." Freddie remained calm and replied instead: “Well if they are alive, then I’m curious about your feelings on Mr Graham right now. Could you imagine what a nice little scandal it would be if one of your former FBI agents fell in love and then ran away with a cannibalistic serial killer and became one himself? Honestly, do you even want him back and alive after all of this? "Price and Zeller stared at her in awe with open mouths, admiring her courage to ask Jack Crawford these cheek questions so bluntly, knowing very well that if they had just uttered one of these right now, they would have lost their jobs in an instant.   
  
Jack Crawford couldn’t suppress his resentment towards the obnoxious journalist any longer and walked angrily in her direction, every inch of his appearance intimidating. She surely hit a tender spot this time. If you write anything about Will Graham or Hannibal Lecter before we even know what happened, before we make a public statement,I swear it’s going to be the last article you ever wrote outside of jail. I can induct you for obstructing justice, remember? And now, GET OFF!” Jack yelled at her and called for two officers to escort her back to the barriers. “You will still need me”, Freddie called while she was being pulled away by the officers.Then she turned her back on the crime scene and walked away.   
  
With a sigh he turned to the still slightly awestruck agents and snapped: “What’s the matter here? You are supposed to work and not watch. Did you find anything out about this mess?“Well, we found the camera and video tape of Mr. Dolarhyde” Brian Zeller said to him apologetically. “We need to analyze them in the lab before we can draw further conclusions.““But what we already know is that some of the blood splatters around here do not match with the blood of Francis Dolarhyde.”, added Jimmy Price.   
  
The wheels were already rattling inside the head of Jack Crawford. “ So it must have been either Will Graham or Dr Lecter.” Jack mumbled to himself. “Or both”, Brian Zeller replied quietly. “Given the fact that Mr Dolarhyde was physically well-trained and strong, it would have been impossible for one of them to overpower him.” Jack nodded appreciatively, while he could not shut the words of Freddie Lounds out of his head. Especially those on Will Graham.   
  
He moved closer to the corpse, kneeled down and examined the deep slashes from the abdomen to the chest with horror in his eyes. Some of his intestines were spread around the corpse. “This was not only self-defense”, Jack Crawford said, slightly shocked but not surprised at all. Apparently the former Will Graham he pretended to know was gone for good. “They butchered him. A battle of life and death. Seems like Dolarhyde attacked them first.” Turning back to the agents, he asked: “What about Lecter and Graham? Did the SWAT team find anything?”   
  
Both agents shook their head, avoiding his eyes for a moment, then Zeller said: “The helicopters are still searching the coastal line but the ground forces didn’t discover anyone within 10 miles. At least not on land. That’s the last report we received an hour ago. Regarding the trails of blood,we suspect they might have jumped off the cliff over there."You think they committed suicide together ?” Crawford frowned for some seconds. He couldn’t imagine why Graham would even consider actions like that. But in a desperate game everything was possible. Zeller, Price and Crawford were now slowly approaching the cliff.   
  
The latter took a careful look around, then discovered blood stains on the rocks right at the edge."Whatever they were planning on doing, it’s not very likely to survive a fall from that height. I would suggest they were both very desperate. They must have known that they couldn’t have gone very far as they might have lost quite a lot of blood, too. So ending this deadly game would be an appropriate solution."Price explained, then shrugged his shoulders. “But I don’t have the gift of Graham, so I can only point in the dark” Price ended, hoping that he would not be scolded right now. Crawford looked at them vigilantly, then sighed and said: “Alright. This sounds quite reasonable. Suicide would suit me just fine.But we definitely need to check the video tapes from the camera in the lab. We will continue the search until tomorrow evening and if we don’t find anyone, we will have to wait until we have some hard evidence to act upon. Understood?”Both agents nodded to show they got his message.   
  
“Alright, then let’s wrap this up and see you at the lab. Thank you.” With these words Crawford turned around and made his way to find the officer in charge to give further instructions with respect to the ongoing search. When the scene was cleared and only the roaring of helicopters and the wailing of sirens could be heard in the distance, he paused one last time and shook his head. Confronting Will’s wife about the possible loss of her husband would not be an easy task to do and he would definitely need the right headspace for this conversation. But closure was all he ever needed right now. Little did he know in that precise moment what the near future would hold out for him.


	4. Returning the Favour

**Cape Elizabeth, Portland** **   
**   
Hannibal and Will stood at the landing stage of Cape Elizabeth, watching their surroundings and the sky for any suspicious sign or a trap they could possibly walk into. Luckily no helicopters or any FBI vehicles could be seen or heard in the distance. Still they had to be careful for their newly found freedom was vulnerable and Hannibal didn’t intend to let it slip away again. He had suffered three years in the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane for Will to finally decide on his allegiance and to embrace who he had become thanks to his masterful hands that he was keen on keeping it that way. He knew that Will couldn’t return to his former life and given what he had seen on the boat he apparently didn’t care to either. But who knew when the old self would burst from the dark prison of his soul to the surface? He could never be sure but for him this unpredictability was tempting. Making sure Will wouldn’t notice, he slightly turned his head towards him and smiled warmly, taking in the sight of the young man with his hair curly and scruffy in the wind, a touch of the fragility shown during their last conversation on the boat clinging to his appearance. Then Hannibal turned to watch Chiyoh who was busy around the boat. Feeling his eyes on her back she turned around, eying him curiously. “I guess we won’t see each other for a while” he said quietly.   
  
Behind them, Chiyoh prepared the boat to leave. It was not safe to leave the sailboat and evidence behind - at least not at this stage of their flight into a new life so she would sail anywhere else to keep Jack Crawford off track for now. Despite her isolation in Lithuania, she still had some acquaintances to contact which proved to be very useful to Hannibal. That night he surrendered himself to the FBI, Chiyoh felt obligated to at least plan some possible ways of his escape from the institution. She knew he would have to rely on her cunning at a certain point, so she set things in motion, then withdrew from the situation, waiting for things to unfold. Like a spider in the dark she slipped away under the very nose of Jack Crawford and kept herself invisible. And Hannibal assumed her to be doing exactly that when he decided to spend these years in prison. Right he was. “I will always be behind you. Watching in the dark”, she answered, her face impassive. “I expect no less of you.” Hannibal smiled, watching her rowing up the sails. “Goodbye for now.” But before they parted, she handed them the passports Hannibal had convinced her to prepare some time ago in case he would leave with Will. “Take this with you before you leave. You can’t use your own credit cards either. They’re going to be blocked and traced. “Will rolled his eyes at her instructions. It insulted his mind and his knowledge of FBI procedures. He bet she enjoyed being in charge at the moment but he did not oppose her because he knew she could and would be useful.   
  
“And here are your phones”, Chiyoh handed Hannibal and Will the credit cards and two medium sized smartphones. “Should you be ever in trouble, give me a call. I hope I won’t have to hear from you”, she said coolly, looking from Will to Hannibal before turning her back on them, finally getting ready to leave.    
  
Will was getting impatient. The longer they waited the more exposed he felt. “Shall we?” he said tilting his head towards Hannibal, raising his eyebrows, gesturing him to go forward. “After you” Hannibal replied with a slight smirk curled on his lips. They walked up the landing stage. Not far from the lighthouse hovering above the cliffs, he could see a cabin and a black vehicle parking in the drive. Behind the cabin a thick green forest stretched out wide into the vast space. From afar they could hear the noise of cars on the highway. This was the direction they had to take. Morning had arrived, the sun was up and the daylight returned. Both knew they had to disappear quickly before anyone recognised them in the flat and exposing landscape and eventually called the police or the FBI.   
  
The younger man noticed that Hannibal had difficulties in catching up with him walking along the stony and slightly steep but short coastal path towards the paved road above. He went back to help and put one of Hannibal’s arm on his shoulders to help him stand on his legs. For a moment he enjoyed the closeness and the weakness of his companion but it was most definitely not the time to indulge. His wounds finally got to him for the treatment had not been sufficient. “We need a car to get away from here and go to your surgeon’s hospital.” Will said to him, looking around watchfully, throwing a sideway glance back at his companion.   
  
Hannibal nodded. “That would be most convenient” he said, struggling to conceal his pain in the face as well as possible but Will felt through his empathy he was suffering and soon felt the same pain in the abdomen. The empath laid his hands on his shoulder, trying to prevent him from falling to the ground. The former profiler was looking around more intensely and frantically than before, then he could make out the shape of a black SUV in the distance and soon after what seemed like a solid built wooden cabin at the borders of the forest behind it.   
  
“Can you see the cabin and the car over there?” Will said to him quietly, trying to distract his companion from the pain that went through his body. “It’s not that far. I could have a closer look and see what I could do there. Wait here, until I come back. Rest a bit. You have done more than enough in the last twenty four hours.” “Or we could simply make a call,” Hannibal panted, his face paler and more translucent than ever, taking out the smartphone of his pocket with shaking hands. Will eyed it with a sceptical look. “I would only make a call if it were absolutely necessary as Chiyoh said.” His partner raised his eyebrows. “Why do you listen to Chiyoh all of a sudden?” “You can’t be careful enough with the FBI around - especially with Jack “, Will answered, his jaw clenched tensely. “It’s too risky to call an ambulance - they’re going to be tracked, too, as you might remember. I’m sorry.” He eyed Hannibal with a pained expression, his mind struggling to find a solution for their dilemma. The latter ended this for him, getting his last bit of strength together “I could carry you to the street as you carried me once “, Will added with one raised eyebrow, pulling him closer to his body, getting ready to lift him up. Hannibal stopped breathing for a moment before he answered. “Thank you very much, dear Will, but I don’t want to lose the last bit of dignity in public.” Will laughed for a moment. “But you didn’t think about mine when you carried me…” He stopped, discovering outright hurt in his companion’s eyes, adding: “Okay, that was different. But I suggest we keep going now. We don’t wanna get caught here.” He grabbed him by his waist and tried to support him step by step until they reached the end of the coastal way, making their way towards the forest. From afar they could hear the noise of cars driving by. This was the direction they needed to take in case they had to make a call.   
  
The view from the top of the hill was now even more splendid than from the rocky shore below where they got off - the wild untamed coast laid out to their feet. But they didn’t pay attention, focussing only on their steps. They stopped abruptly before they could leave the coastal path. Both men sensed there was danger in the air. A vague thread filled the silent landscape until it took the shape of bald, brawny man with tanned skin walking up from the cabin in quite a decisive and aggressive pace, his hands clenched into fists, his dark eyes cold as ice. Will’s whole body tensed like he was a bloodhound ready to jump on his prey, his eyes searching for any sign of a gun. He immediately let go of his companion, putting himself instinctively in front of him as a shield.   
  
Maybe Hannibal had been right, a call would have saved them a great deal of trouble. But now it was too late and time could not be reversed. “Hey!” the tall muscular man with his tattooed arms called in a aggressive voice, quickening his pace, his face reddened. “What are you doing here? This is private property. Piss off. Right now.” The closer he got, Will recognized immediately that this man was a threat to them in this situation. Besides, he felt that he was a predator. Someone who had already killed before and would do it again. For pleasure or for lust or to deal with his anger issues. He was definitely wholeheartedly unwelcome to Hannibal and Will totally exhausted and vulnerable as they were. His senses sharpened but his heartbeat only slightly quickened. Within seconds he had to decide how to deal with him. This would determine the survival of the fittest but whose he could not predict right now. For a moment he felt sent back in time when both fought with Francis Dolarhyde to life and death. Flashbacks appeared in front of his eyes when the Red Dragon stabbed him in the face and lifted him up, throwing him to the floor. It was Hannibal that saved him from further harm - from certain death despite him being shot right into the stomach. Now it was his turn to do the same, to return the favour. But he wasn’t sure whether both could slay this one. So, he had to do it on his own. Before he realized it, he shut out his thoughts, even Hannibal who stood beside him, eying him intensively and slightly excited.   
  
“We haven’t intruded into your so-called property. We are standing right in front of it. No need to be that rude.” Hannibal spoke as calmly as he could, his voice cold yet polite. The angry man approached him but Will wouldn’t let him get close anywhere, struggling to keep his face blank and controlled. The stranger looked at him, then sneered. “So, you wanna mess with me, huh?” He eyed Hannibal from head to toes. “Sorry, Mister but ya gonna be breakfast. Look at ya. You’re in a really bad shape, aren’t ya? Can’t even protect yourself.” He paused, his eyes amused yet still dangerous. “Is that your boyfriend? Aw, how cute. I think I’m gonna take it slow. Make him watch. Make him cry.” He was directly looking at Will now who could see dark ravenous hunger for murder and torture in them. “I’ll enjoy your pain, ya can be sure of that. That’s what ya get for messin’ around with me.”   
  
But before he could make any move, Will lashed out at him with incredible speed despite his physical handicap, making his opponent gasp in surprise and shock. He kicked him into his sensitive parts as hard and violent as he could. The man groaned in pain and sunk to the ground. Barely holding back his anger and murderous instincts anymore, his eyes looking wild and unrestrained, Will continued to kick him over and over again until he was sure the man couldn’t defend himself.With a single quick movement he grabbed his neck and snapped it with his hands hidden in the sleeves of his sweater in a short but brutal way. He threw him to the ground, staring him in disgust and contempt before turning to Hannibal whose maroon eyes were now filled with pride at the deed Will had committed for him. Will watched him as he stood there panting, exhausted from the struggle. Dark and tempting thoughts crossed his mind. It would be so easy to leave Hannibal behind, do the same to him, let him die and go back to Molly. He was so vulnerable just like he was when the Dragon came for both of them and he took the bullet while he sipped from the glass of wine, enjoying the new power dynamic. But Will knew he wouldn’t do it as his whole new life that started at dawn would be just rendered meaningless and maddeningly polite. One day he would have to complete his own becoming. Yet the day was not today. Hannibal gave him a smile and a loving gaze because he guessed which thoughts were currently in the mind of his beloved whose becoming was beautiful to behold. “My mylimasis ” Hannibal murmured to himself before collapsing to the ground, unable to stand on his legs anymore, his injury in the abdomen finally taking its toll on him.


	5. Forgiveness and Love

The moment Will threw down the man to the ground released the dramatic tension this threat had created for the two men who were already physically overstrained. Hannibal sacked down to his knees, unable to hold himself on his legs anymore, slowly succumbing to the pain of his wound. Both knew there was no time to lose. Any bacterial infection or any other complication could suck the life out of the man shortly. Even Will had been strained from this unexpected turn of events and needed a few moments to catch his breath again, still feeling shaken from the fateful night's wounds. Yet he was in a better condition than Hannibal who seemed to have cared more about his well-being than Will's.

"I guess it would have really been better to make a call", Will admitted with gritted teeth. Every muscle of his beautiful pale face was tense, his eyes narrowed. "What is done is done", Hannibal gasped. "But let us get out of here. Please." His eyes were directly staring into the deep-blue eyes of Will's, yearning for help. It was bizarre to hear the usually so controlled man beg so desperately for help, the face now white as a ghost. Will relished in that sight in secret. A wounded predator at his mercy. "Do you know the number of this surgeon or the address of the hospital?" Will asked him, searching frantically for his smartphone in his pocket. "The...name is Dr. Gaspard Chouinard. He must be in the contacts somewhere. If Chiyoh got it right." Will nodded and scrolled down the list of emergency contacts Chiyoh had prepared for them. And there he was. His number, his address and the one of the hospitals. In this moment, He admired her for her cunning planning and meticulous work despite his personal distrust and grudge against her. She saved their life from the distance, Will thought.

They were lucky to have her as an accomplice. "Got it." Will said, looking vigilantly at Hannibal, worried for him to pass out, then at the car which originally belonged to the man he had murdered. "I'm going to get you there, just give me a second." He made sure no one was watching from afar, then hurried to move the corpse to the cliff, rolled him over with his feet and watched him fall until he heard him clash to the rocks. "What a waste." Hannibal managed to say, smirking faintly. "This guy could have fed us for some days." Will chuckled but only said: "This one would have tasted disgusting, don't you think?" "Just as he was in life," Hannibal replied with a faint smile, "Fast food as the ordinary would phrase it. Not tasty but sometimes inevitable and better than to starve." He hurried to the black SUV, unlocking the door with the key he had taken out of the pocket of their victim then carefully wrapped his hands around the body of Hannibal, lifting him on the seat, then making his way to the driver's seat. Hannibal totally focussed on Will. If he was about to lose his consciousness, the last thing he wanted to see was his partner dressed in his own clothes, in his red sweater, slightly torn because of the previous struggle, his messy curly hair, the handsome face now marked by the stitches and the worried look he carried on his face while he entered the address into the navigation system of the car before starting the engine.

He regretted using the navigation app, but there was no time to start reading maps. It didn't matter which possibility they chose, they could be tracked either way - if not by the FBI then by the NSA. They could also be simply identified by the people they would be probably be asking to get to the hospital when driving around in confusion. He made his way to the highway, leaving behind the Cape and the cabin, now speeding up the car, following the instructions of the voice and the map on the screen, occasionally throwing a sideways glance to Hannibal. "This reminds me of the time when it was the other way round," Will remarked to break the silence and keep his partner in crime awake. "When I was sleeping in the car while you drove me to Minnesota." "How much you have changed since then, dear Will," Hannibal replied quietly, staring at him smiling as if he was in trance.

"You are not the innocent lamb anymore you used to be," he stated. "A full-grown lion ready to unleash your wrath on any of those who dare to defy you." Will could not suppress a laugh. "I hope you're not becoming soft with age, old man," He said, raising his right eyebrow, looking at him cheekily with his irresistible blue eyes. "You changed me...if I am becoming soft then, you have to blame yourself, Will. But pride comes before fall, as you might very well know." "Oh, I will keep that in mind, thank you." Will answered, focussing on the road ahead of him. "We should arrive at the hospital in twenty-five minutes. We're nearly there." Hannibal nodded weakly.

A thought about the morning on the sailboat crossed Will's mind while he sped down the highway. As Hannibal was in pain and needed to stay conscious, he needed to distract him anyway. "Why did you kiss me on my cheek?" Will asked all of a sudden, breaking the silence that had stretched out in the meantime, throwing a worried sideways glance at Hannibal whose head was put against the window seemingly exhausted and struggling with the fever despite taking his medication. "Why did you hesitate?" Hannibal waited for a moment before he answered, his face impassive. "I thought you were still sorting out your priorities." Hannibal simply said in his weak voice. "So, you would have kissed me on my lips if I had been decided?" Will asked back in a sceptical tone. "Maybe. Maybe not. We were in a hurry. It didn't feel like the right time. It should be savoured thoroughly and not be done under such circumstances. Is it so important for you? My love, for you, is immeasurable, Will." Hannibal looked at him fondly.

"No, I was just wondering because it got me confused."

"Confused about your love for me? About my love for you?" Hannibal asked with his eyebrows raised.

"About our whole relationship. When did you know?"

Hannibal fell silent again. Sweat ran down his face. The fever started to get worse instead of better, despite the antibiotics and antipyretics he took but tried to stay awake as long as he could manage.

"The day I met you in Jack Crawford's office." Hannibal finally replied. It was clear he didn't need to think about it, as quick as the words came out of his mouth.

"You were quite late in figuring that out yourself. Poor job for a former behavioural analyst I must say", Hannibal remarked in amusement at Will's snort but couldn't suppress a smug yet melancholic undertone.

"Bedelia had to point it out to me", Will said, biting on his bottom lip at the thought of her and gripping the wheel even tighter, "I always thought you weren't capable of love and it was my love mirrored back. I can't tell you when I started loving you. Maybe after I killed Randall Tier. But I realised I did when you were gone." A shade of grief and sadness settled on his face at the thought of the carnage in the kitchen and the loss of Abigail. 

"If I had known earlier, it could have saved me a great deal of trouble." Will added with bitter regret in his voice, hinting at his past decisions and actions.

"Yes, you would have." Hannibal replied quietly but without reproach. "It could have changed many things but as we can't go back in time we will never know." He glanced sideways at Will with eyes that mirrored something akin to regret, grief and understanding.

"You could have just asked me out, instead of manipulating and framing me for murder or gutting me", Will countered in a casual and ironic tone, cocking his eyebrows, throwing another checking look at his companion.

"Fate and circumstances can be incredibly difficult", Hannibal gave back smiling faintly at his attempted joke, but the glow in his eyes was fading away at the memories of the past that lay behind them."You were always torn and entrapped in your own moral dignity pants, rejecting me quite a few times as you might very well remember. And hasn't my therapy proven to be effective on you, Will?"

Will said nothing to his comment, knowing that Hannibal had made some valid points although it was still hard to admit the truth. Without the trauma and his transformation, none of this would have happened, and he would still live in Wolf Trap, Virginia. How strange the idea was. It seemed to have been ages since Will had lived a life without Hannibal Lecter at his side. He had been so thoroughly changed he could barely remember how he was before their fateful encounter. Strangely enough, despite the fact of how twisted the whole situation and their relationship was and he knew how deeply fallen he had, there was also something beautiful in this.

"I guess it has. You are with me and that is all that matters." Will concluded, wanting to end the discussion for he felt uncomfortable again, at the thought about what might have been if he had joined him earlier Abigail could have been alive. Not having to deal with Molly and Wally would have been a great relief.

"Is it?" Hannibal asked back with scepticism in his voice.

"Would I be here if it didn't?" Will answered, irritation in his face and his voice visible and audible. "We have talked about it before. Blimey, Hannibal. You don't trust me, do you?"

"Not entirely. But where would the fun be if I did?" Hannibal returned who was now dabbing his face with a handkerchief before taking another sip from the water bottle of his bag and swallowing another pill. He looked at Will again. This time he had some questions on his own.

"When you killed that man at the cabin, when you snapped his neck - did you fantasize about killing me?" Hannibal asked with an impenetrable expression on his face. His eyes could not hide his curiosity and fascination, though.

"It would be a lie to say I didn't." Will gave back. "But I couldn't. Nor would I. At least right now. You are right. Where would the fun be?" He repeated. Hannibal's comment in a snarl, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"What a shame. You could have slipped out so easily and gone back to your family." Hannibal commented in a clipped tone .Will took a deep breath before he answered. "You still think that I want to go back, Hannibal? Haven’t you listened to what I said when we were talking this morning?"

His companion pursed his lips and said, his breath rattling. "I’m sorry. It must be the fever. But I assume a part of you still loves her even though you say otherwise. Would you have spent three years together with her if you didn't?" Will's face hardened at his remark, knowing there was some truth in it and he decided not to answer. Hannibal knew he hit the right spot and looked out of the window.

"Once we leave the hospital, I am curious about what you are going to do. If you spare her or not.” He remarked, still watching the landscape fading away, focussing at the sight of the ocean which appeared from time to time beneath the trees and the buildings.

The face of Will was expressionless this time, hiding his inner turmoil from Hannibal. "It depends whether she wants to let me go or not. Whether she'd call Jack or the police and turn me in. But killing her would not feel right to me. She doesn't deserve that. It's not part of my design. And as I said, if you recall, I wouldn’t kill Alana either."

Hannibal nodded. “Yes, you said that. I respect it.” He fetched his smartphone, remembering something important. "I will send Chiyoh a message for her to arrange the reception at the hospital. An unexpected arrival at the gate would draw too much attention to us." Will nodded, then sighed."I should have thought of that before." "Your mind is getting sloppy, Will. Have you left your sharp mind back with the Dragon?" Hannibal asked him casually."

"Maybe it is because you cut up my skull some time ago." Will replied to that tartly and bitterly, his face hardening, keeping his gaze fixed at the road before him. His partner eyed him vigilantly, yet no emotion betraying his thoughts and feelings about that sharp remark. "So you still haven't gotten past the stage of forgiveness, haven't you?" "Oh, I am just reminding you of the consequences of your actions in the past", he replied coolly, perfectly emulating Hannibal's tone from the conversation a few nights ago.

"Forgiving is not forgetting, right?" "Right you are, dear Will." His face grew blank. There was nothing else to say to this reciprocation which hit him surprisingly hard but Hannibal wouldn't let him get his satisfaction. He finished his message, put his phone away and retreated into his mind palace for the rest of the ride, trying to ignore the pain of his gunshot wound and the sweat dripping down from his face. He started to get feverish. Another déja vu of a time long gone back in Baltimore.

After a while, the high-rise buildings of the densely populated city centre of Portland passed them by before fading into the distance again, being replaced by woods on each side of the country roads. Will was getting nervous for he knew that though Hannibal was bearing his suffering with the utmost dignity, time was really holding its cards against them which would render their whole escape meaningless. let the engine roar frantically and tried to gain as much time as possible by taking over some cars at the verge of breaking the speed limit. But he couldn't allow himself to be caught by the Portland Police Department either so he had to be careful about his driving manoeuvres. After taking some turns, changing the directions here and there, the oceanside was approaching and he could finally make out a large white elegant building with impressive glass windows from the distance.

"Will..you're mine." Hannibal muttered, gazing at him through glassy eyes, trying to reach with his shaking hands for his partner, probably having some feverishly hallucinations. Will let his hand rest on his own, feeling the heat from his fever radiating from his body.When Will finally arrived at the parking lot of the back entrance and was about to get out of the car, Hannibal had passed out. He would miss how Will carried him bridal-style to the spacious and modern back entrance of the Chouinard Hospital with the refined white marble walls and the impressive glass front, where Chiyoh was already waiting for them to arrive, suspiciously watching Will carrying Hannibal with narrowed eyes. A tall and slender man, middle-aged, dressed simply yet elegantly with black hair strictly bound together in a ponytail was standing next to her, flanked by two nurses with a stretcher.

"Wherever you go, you only cause death and chaos," Chiyoh remarked in a quiet, reproachful and slightly hostile voice, shaking her head when he approached her with Hannibal in his arms. "Can we just discuss this another time? I would say this is not the perfect moment to settle our debts" Will hissed, breathing heavily, struggling with the weight of his partner and his aching chest wound and shoulders. "He needs help. Immediately." She nodded, then turned to the mysterious man next to her, who approached Will quickly, taking interest in the patient. He to murmured something to the nurses next to him who were taking the unconscious Hannibal out of his hands, placing him on the stretcher, then rushing inside the entrance of the hospital as fast as they could. Will watched them until they disappeared through the glass doors and entered the elevator before his gaze found the green-grey eyes behind the rimless glasses of the mysterious man next to Chiyoh


	6. Broken Bonds

**Behavioural Analysis Unit, Quantico, Virginia **

**One day later**

It was 8 am in the morning. Zeller, Price and Crawford were standing in the laboratory, reviewing Francis Dolarhyde’s digital video recordings from the evening at the coast house at Chesapeake Bay. They observed Lecter lying on the floor, previously being shot in the abdomen by Dolarhyde who was saying to him behind the camera: “I'm going to film your death, Dr. Lecter, as dying, you meld with the strength of the Dragon.The wounded man looked up from the floor, his eyes focusing on the man hovering above him. “It's a glorious and rather discomforting idea”, Lecter managed to say, trying to keep his voice steady, while blood was seeping out of his gunshot wound, pressing a hand against it. They waited. A tense silence befell the room until they perceived the Dragon’s deep raspy voice again: “Watching the film will be wonderful but not as wonderful as the act itself.” For some seconds nothing particular seemed to happen. The camera stayed focussed at the face of Hannibal until the focus was lost again due to movements of Dolarhyde. The partly blurred image made it difficult to get a glimpse at the details in the recorded video.Dolarhyde seemed to have dropped the video camera. Jack Crawford frowned. His answer came straight away. A painful gasp in the background could be heard. The voice of Graham.Zeller and Price looked at each other simultaneously. So, they were right about Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter being reunited at the coast house.

“That’s Graham,”Crawford remarked as he perceived the distressing sound. “So, he was planning on taking both Lecter and Dolarhyde down but it backfired and he was assaulted, too.“They continued watching the video before the video started to blur. Watching the video as intently and focussed as they could with some pauses in between to analyse every important detail that could prove crucial for Will Graham’s innocence, they recognized how Will Graham was being thrown to the floor, writhing in pain, his body bent in fetal position. Another frown graced the faces of the agents. Lecter appeared in front of the camera again, struggling to get up on his legs despite his gun wound before attacking Dolarhyde apparently to protect Graham, trying to throw Dolarhyde to the ground. All they could see was the feet of the men outside, likely fighting to life and death outside. Until the picture turned black and the video ended abruptly. “What the hell…” Crawford murmured, stunned and confused. “Why would Lecter do that?” Both agents were at a loss for words. “We evidently overlooked something right in front of our eyes”, Price said, exchanging suggestive looks with his partner, his eyebrows raised.

“So, here’s the evidence that both of them killed Dolarhyde together” concluded Crawford after the video ended, “Just as we saw at the crime scene.” Price replied. “But there’s nothing that suggests or hints where they currently are now and what happened after they killed Dolarhyde."Except for the blood stains on the rocks.”Zeller commented on that.“And the DNA test confirmed it, too.” Crawford nodded thoughtfully.“They must have jumped.” Crawford signed deeply, the likely prospect of the death of his best agent pulling him down into an abyss he hadn’t been thrown into to since his wife had died. Another part of him, however, hoped that this was not true. They could have survived. Against all the odds of physics and gravity. Although he couldn’t imagine how. Zeller and Price lowered their heads, their faces grave in silence. “There’s nothing we can do right now.”Jack Crawford finally sighed.“Except for waiting for a miracle. Or did you receive any reports from the SWAT team last night?” He looked at the agents in agitation, hoping for reassurance that they still could find Graham alive. Zeller replied: “I haven’t received any news. But they are still looking although the chances of survival must be down to zero right now.The coast guard is still checking Chesapeake Bay and the coastal line for survivors.”Zeller smiled and laid a hand on the shoulder of Crawford, trying to lift his spirits.“Or maybe they haven’t jumped at all and faked it.” Crawford muttered to himself. To this the agents fell silent. They knew how to do their job, they knew that there was no evidence to this assumption at all but they didn’t dare to destroy the small spark of hope Jack Crawford was clinging to.

An hour later, the head of the Behavioural Analysis Unit was pacing annoyedly in front of the questioning room, waiting for Freddie Lounds to be brought in by the officers. After discussing on how to deal with the journalist with the general inspector, he ultimately decided to escort her to the precinct.Even though several years had passed since she contaminated some crime scenes, there were still some legal charges she could have to face, making her own position difficult. She had the daring nerve to publish a speculative article on her website before the FBI could make an official statement on the pending investigation, despite his warning.

He was going to make sure she would never write a single word on Lecter and Graham on her website Tattle Crime for now. The new general inspector Paul Krendler from then justice department had been pressing him to finally investigate the matter with Graham and Lecter and finish the charade once and for all for the public, urging him to give the media and the public closure.He crossed his arms on his chest, leaning back into his chair while staring into her unwavering and self-confident eyes.

“Hello Jack,” she said, smiling, as if she had nothing to fear, leaning forward in her self-assured posture. “It seems that you still need me, right?” Jack Crawford didn’t make the effort to return the greeting. “Miss Lounds” he said sternly who couldn’t sit in his chair anymore, walking around in the gloomy room like a caged animal.“Tell me, how many times do we have to talk about this?”Despite our warnings you published an article this morning, speculating that Graham and Lecter are still alive and that Graham joined him, including pictures from the crime scene you took without asking for permission.She shrugged her shoulders and merely said: “You can’t arrest me for writing articles as you surely know, Jack, from our past conversations...” “I remember very well, Miss Lounds. . But you’re interfering with our investigations, you published information you obtained from an officer under false pretense again and possibly allowed one murderer escape. It’s up to you whether your website survives or goes down the drain.”Jack ended his threat.

Freddie Lounds knew that she couldn’t allow herself to lose her website, but she wouldn’t budge either. “Now you admit that Graham and Lecter could be alive.” She remarked amusedly. “You want to keep the investigation under the radar because of Will Graham” Freddie Lounds concluded, her face full of curiosity.“Because the FBI doesn’t want the public to know an unstable FBI agent joined Lecter willingly, right? It would throw a quite nasty shade on the quality of employees of our institutions, if you ask me.”He didn’t reply to that sharp and cheek remark, his face unreadable, struggling to maintain control.“Oh, I must have hit a nerve. Fine. I’ll take that article down.”She said, gloating over the annoyance of the investigator.“ Change the narrative,” Crawford suggested. “Other articles are still allowed?” She asked him with raised eyebrows, slightly ironically. “As long as you don’t contaminate crime scenes again, post pictures of evidence you don’t have permission for or steal evidence, I don’t have any reasons to stop you from doing your job.”

“And if I gather evidence?” Freddie Lounds asked him, staring up at him while Jack Crawford continued circling around the desk. “Then you should share it with us before you write an article.” He paused. “Here’s the deal: If you find evidence, proof that they are still alive and share it with us, you may write whatever you want. But don’t contradict our narrative.”He paused before asking in curiosity:“What makes me curious is why you published the article in the first place when you know that they would be probably be coming for you?” “I survived Will Graham once, and I will do so again,” Freddie said to him self-assuredly. “They can’t afford to kill me yet. It would make it a bit too obvious that they are still alive, if you ask me.” To this Jack Crawford could only agree. Good idea. She was determined and sharp-minded, he had to admit that. He sincerely hoped it was the last time he would have to make use of her.

**One week later**

It was already late when most of the tedious and challenging tasks were done and his thoughts swayed back to Will Graham again, having spoken to his now former wife one week ago for the first time. When he informed her that Will likely fell to possible death during the fight with Francis Dolarhyde, she was shaking with tears and anger at his words. It was always burdensome to talk to the relatives after such an incident. Knowing he was responsible for the potential death or, worse, suspected change of his protége, it was ten thousand times harder to utter the bad news and deal with the outburst of emotions. When he arrived at their cabin, he was surprised to see she was emptying their house, carrying card boxes and suitcases out of the house into a white large van together with a man which he assumed was an employee of the relocation assistance service. Surprisingly practical, Crawford thought to himself.

He decided it was best not to unveil their speculations although he knew she was smart and would find out sooner than later. When he approached Molly at their wooden porch, he could clearly see she was busy walking back and forth, panting. Her face hardened as he approached her. She tried hiding her emotions though he could clearly see she was battling many of them. Confusion. Grief. Anger. Especially resentment directed at him and he couldn’t blame her. “Hello Molly,“ he said congenially, halting at the door, trying to be as empathetic as possible. She merely nodded shortly while she put down the trunk she intended to carry to the van, crossing her arms above her chest. She did not invite him to enter. “You’re leaving?” Jack Crawford asked. Molly merely nodded. “I think it is best for my son to go to his grandparents right now. We don’t want to stay here and be reminded all the time of what happened. That he’s missing.”She answered grimly. It was still hard for her to be alone. She felt the terrible emptiness and overwhelming grief gnawing at her heart. Crawford was a bit astounded but he recognized the emotional appeal to turn a new page. “I understand.” He said hesitantly, after some seconds of uncomfortable silence.

It was hard to find the proper words, seeing as he was most to be blamed for the potential loss of her husband. “I merely wanted to drop by and see how you are doing. But I still don’t have good news about Will,” Jack said in a grave voice, his face and voice gentle and full of sympathy. “You still didn’t find him?” Molly asked, with a lifeless face, seemingly struggling to keep her voice even, her hands clenched into fists. “No,” Jack Crawford said, sighing wearily. “ But we keep looking for him and will bring him back home. I promise.”Molly just smiled bitterly, pausing for a second in what she was doing and leaned against the wooden door.“He won’t find us there though, should he ever come back wherever he is. If he is alive at all.” She gave back, now petting one of the dogs. Will's dog. Buster.“If you like we can keep in touch and call you when we find him.” The last words were heavy to speak.

She lowered her head before gathering her courage to speak up again. There was something held in her chest that she needed to get out. "I knew Lecter would never let him go. He even said to me that he would be a changed man when coming back. “She stared through the windows with empty, tear-stained eyes.“But you know what? I think I begin to understand what he really meant to say back then. “ After wiping the tears from her eyes, she embraced her son who had joined their conversation without any of them noticing, tightly. Crawford frowned. “What do you mean?“You must draw your own conclusions, Mr. Crawford as head of the behavioural analysis unit.” “But I’ll give you a small hint. I just realised he was never fully mine no matter how hard I tried.” Her face was impenetrable and her eyes cold as ice as she gave life to these harsh words. Jack remained calm, being used to the hostility of people in the stage of grief and nodded to show he had understood. He knew Graham always had been torn, but Lecter had successfully managed to tear him down completely.“Molly, I know...""Here is my number, in case you find him.” She interrupted him, “Tell him, we moved to Pennsylvania. We’re staying at my parent’s house until we find something else. I also left him a letter here, explaining everything. ” With these words she turned around, taking Wally by the hand, whistling for the dogs who came running, wagging their tails. Molly and Wally were heading for their car. The driver of the van had already been waiting impatiently and started the engine. Lost in thoughts Crawford waved at her before the van and the car departed and got lost in the distance.

Back at the office, Crawford needed to take some minutes for himself to deal with his emotions and conflicted feelings. He had taken Molly's bullets willingly as it was his task to take responsibility for what he had done. He sighed and felt the waves of guilt crashing down upon him, engulfing him. Having seen the video tapes and heard Molly Graham talking about her husband in such a manner, his perception of the man he once called a friend started to erode. He clenched his fists thinking about the painful possibility that the former agent had betrayed him, that he had fallen to Lecter. Yet his optimistic part in him hoped Graham was only working undercover and would show up again, somewhere, but this hope started to dwindle. The only thing that he admitted to be true was that both understood and accepted each other for their minds were indeed just alike. Of course, he had been alert when Will once said to him that a part of him always wanted to run away with Lecter. In the previous years he always had the feeling that he didn’t know who was chasing whom and whether there had been an actual chase anymore. Just like Alana Bloom said in the past. It had been a courtship.

He took some minutes sitting on his chair before his desk breathing in deeply, still grieving for what was lost. But he needed and wanted to let him go. He could not ensure what he would do to him if he had to confront him again if Will was still alive and on the run. But as long as there were no bodies nor any evidence, he could not decide what to do. It’s not that this case had the most priority at the moment. A sigh left his mouth when he looked at the files on his desk again. There were still enough homicides to be investigated like the one of a dead couple few days ago, both stripped naked on the ground, their genitalia cut off. They were lying on the ground, embracing each other, probably arranged into the final position by the killer. No blood, nor semen or saliva or any other evidence of the killer could be found at the crime scene but all injuries hinted it was murder. The rumours were already spreading among the detectives of the local police departments there was another Zodiac copycat killer on the loose in South Carolina and that he was difficult to catch. No clear motive, specific pattern to be recognizable so far. The only remarkable injury he kept inflicting on all of the victims was the sign he kept on cutting deeply into the backs while they were still alive. It was the sign of the Zodiac Circle. And a letter with a cryptic message in red ink had been forwarded a day after the killings. Crawford massaged his temples with his fingers in frustration and exhaustion.He thought he’d have some peace after Francis Dolarhyde but apparently this country never ran out of crazy sons of bitches.The FBI had already been briefed on this case from the local police in South Carolina. Murder was not a federal crime but given the fact that it might be the work of a serial killer who was only starting his twisted murders according to the announcements of the cryptic message , the FBI and the local police departments were supposed to exchange information and work together because the next murder might happen soon. If he only had Graham around, he could have caught this killer for sure. But then again he couldn’t have asked this of him anymore. He knew had asked too much of him, pushed him over the edge in all these years, pushed him into the darkness Crawford had been blind to for a very long time.

Having lingered on Graham in his mind for too long, Crawford grounded himself back to the present, went through the application letters he kept receiving from agents in training during the last few years, hoping to find someone as good as his former protégée although he knew he had always been unique. Miriam Lass quit and would never return into service again and to be frank he wouldn’t allow it either, having had enough with the issues of broken and traumatized agents on his watch. Alana Bloom refused to come back ,at the moment,for her own and her family's safety as long as Lecter was on the loose.

Crawford knew he needed someone with emotional resilience towards manipulation, faith in the justice system they were serving and a steady moral compass and personal ambition. His eyes were drawn to the application letter and the resume of one of the best students the FBI currently had to offer called Clarice Starling. Apparently she had been writing to him for some time like Miriam Lass did but he never replied. He was intrigued by her keen interest and perseverance. Interesting profile and achievements accompanied by best marks in her double degree of psychology and criminology. For now he would keep on eye on her. If everything failed and Heimlich or Bloom couldn’t be persuaded to create a psychological profile on the copycat killer, he would need to use unconventional methods again. He would test her skills by requesting her assistance. As she was still a trainee and had to complete her education, he could only give her some small tasks to not interfere with her schedule at the academy. But if she did well, she could be a good asset in their team in due time. Crawford decided to speak to her supervisors and instructors in the coming months and supervise her development at the academy. He added a note to her application letters and on his large monitor to be reminded in case his duties should carry his head elsewhere and he forgot about the matter.

What he would do to Graham remained to be seen. He logged into the database of the FBI and updated the available information on the Lecter case following today’s review on the material. He made a decision. Not only Lecter’s ruthless face stared right back at him but now also the one of Will Graham.Crawford dreaded the moment of their personal confrontation. His heart was heavy at the idea of him being on the run and sincerely prayed he could appeal to his conscience to stop this madness, kill Hannibal and be done with it.


	7. The Doctor

“Hello, Mr Graham. I am Dr. Chouinard, an old colleague of your friend .” The surgeon greeted him, taking some steps closer to him, offering his hand. His words were accompanied by a light, suave French accent in his voice. He emphasised the last word on purpose, whilst staring attentively at Will with his cool green-greyish eyes through his rimless glasses. Will estimated that he was about the same age as Hannibal. He had a lean and oval shaped face, his black hair was mingled with the grey strains of age. Apparently, he loved going to the tanning booth for the sun was not strong enough during this time of year in Portland. His whole posture was calm, controlling and reserved, yet he lacked the flawless person suit of Hannibal. Will perceived his anxiety about receiving two wanted criminals on his face and body through the cracks of his suit. Dr. Chouinard did not seem to dedicate to his work as a surgeon at the moment but rather to his position as the manager of the clinic given his appearance. He was dressed in a fine, black, tailored suit with a pale green shirt that matched the colour of his eyes. Impractical clothes to perform a surgery. He guessed that the man standing before him did not have a wife or a husband. From the imprint on his ring finger Will deduced he was divorced and living on his one. Either single or not ready to marry again. 

His empathy told him that the doctor had been a ruthless, ambitious workaholic since then and the hospital was his life work. This had probably caused his bitterness.

"Hello, Dr Chouinard", Will murmured and finally shook his hand after moments of hesitation. Will wasn’t sure whether to trust him completely as he had the feeling that Dr Chouinard disliked him a lot. Either because he was with Hannibal or he saw him as a murderer. Before he could reply, his mouth already forming an explanation for him, the man said in his slow, melodic voice with a dismissive gesture to him: “I am aware of the situation. You don’t have to explain yourself. She told me what happened. Hannibal is going to make it, if you want to know and he is in safe hands for now. But it was a close call.” He tilted his head to Chiyoh who was returning his gaze, nodding and only replied “Thank you for helping us,Mr Chouinard ” in a cool voice. Her face was expressionless and wary as ever, betraying nothing of her true emotions or thoughts. Will saw she was on her guard, not trusting the surgeon with Hannibal’s safety either. 

Will also wondered how safe Hannibal could be in a hospital, no matter how fancy and discrete it may be. As soon as they were on the mend , they needed to check the cameras and delete the recordings or they might as well walk into the building of the FBI and surrender. Not that he needed to worry about it - he’d find a way to slip out of it and stay on his own until he was able to free Hannibal again. But being under Jack’s watch and being dragged back to Molly was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

The surgeon noticed Will was lost in thoughts and went on.“Come now. We will talk later about you two. At dinner when Hannibal has recovered again. I can give you cover for some days. But I can’t guarantee absolute safety for you should the FBI come knocking on my door. You three put me in a very awkward position. “ He reprimanded both of them, shaking his head, avoiding eye contact with a dark expression on his face as if he was fighting an inner battle with himself. Will suspected it was not Chiyoh’s report that bothered him. The man must have already looked behind Hannibal’s persona and there was only one possibility. He must have read Tattlecrime and the news. How could he not. Hannibal was all over the news some time ago. 

Freddie Lounds must have struck again. “Where did you read about us?” Will asked him, frowning and slightly alarmed. “Tattlecrime?” Dr Chouinard nodded in agreement. “She wrote that you supposedly murdered that serial killer “Tooth Fairy” together and that you couldn’t be found nowhere at the crime scene anymore and slipped away with Hannibal Lecter joining him as his murder husband again . “You know that Freddie Lounds likes to make up things and has the tendency of destroying other people’s reputations?” Will replied to that in an indifferent tone and with a poker face. The other man hesitated for a moment, sighing, before replying in a rather accusing and sceptical tone: “Even if that is not true, you both still made a common effort to arrive here in secret, Mr Graham. Calling me by proxy and arriving at the back entrance. Not exactly the actions of innocent men.” Guilty until proven guilty.” Will snarled back in a brusque, cold tone, shrugging but keeping his gaze steady. “You may not be” the doctor replied , raising his eyebrows sceptically. “But I know what Hannibal has done.” Dr Chouinard sighed, looking away, seemingly uncomfortable. “I always knew. I even knew it before the media made it public long ago. I always guessed he had to hide something. Yet I still owe him a favour.” The surgeon murmured this more to himself than to Will, turning away from him. “And he must have known that very well and used it against me.” He gave a polite yet bitter smile at Will, while still keeping his distance. He tried to read Will’s intentions and anticipate his actions as if he considered him dangerous. Dr Chouinard was an intelligent and perceptive man, Will realised.

Will suspected by channeling his empathy on the man that there was more to Dr.Chouinard’s personal history with Hannibal as he told him after analysing his facial expression and body language. He noticed the surgeon was jealous and thinking back at the time when he had met Hannibal. The gazes he threw at him and the slightly melancholic look in his eyes were more than revealing. 

Will wondered how intimate his companion had been with this acquaintance and which kind of darkness had connected them both. It was not about sex or physical intimacy but about the bonds they shared. Will made a mental note to question Hannibal about this man when he was recovered. He wanted to know whether he would only be another fancy toy to love for a while before being cast aside again like him. Will did not know a lot about Hannibal‘s earlier past, about how his life was in Baltimore when he became a practicing surgeon and was eager to find out. 

Because he would not want to be another toy in the collection of Hannibal’s playthings before being slaughtered in a few years. He wanted to be his equal, his soulmate until hell ended.

After a moment of awkward silence and few observing, intense glances, the doctor finally suggested “We should keep the most interesting part of our conversations for dinner, shouldn’t we? And besides, Hannibal is not the only one that is in need of some patching up.” He eyed him from head to toe with a disdainful glance. His analytical gaze finally rested on his stitched cheek that still was healing, his chest where he suspected broken ribs and his left shoulder which Will unconsciously kept touching with a pained face as he grew aware that his wounds were aching again. The adrenaline that kept him focussed started to abate. Will could barely keep himself up anymore but the surgeon did not offer him any help. He followed him and Chiyoh back to the entrance, limping and his breath rattling. He asked himself when Jack Crawford would check all the hospitals and stumble about Hannibal’s acquaintance.

Will pondered if he was actually able to kill the man that had guilt-tripped him most of his years as behavioural analyst if he had to. Alana and Margot were people he would not kill, still respecting them enough, but he had no empathy left for Jack, should he come looking for trouble.

His thoughts strayed while he followed the surgeon and the nurses into the examination room, looking at the white, walls and allowing them to undress and examine him, touching his broken ribs and his dislocated shoulder.He retreated into his mind palace where he imagined all kind of scenarios. The idea of cutting Jack’s throat from behind until the crimson blood bursted from his aorta, spilling on the white walls of the hospital room and watching him bleed out on the floor, while he stared at Will in surprise and shock made him smile.

_ “Now comes the hardest test”, Hannibal murmured softly on the bench in the Uffizi Gallery. _

Will closed his eyes and laid back on the stretcher. While the surgeons would put him together once more, he imagined the destructive acts that cause such wounds in the first place.All he saw and felt in front of his eyes was violence and blood. He heard the terrible shrill noise of the autopsy saw again that tried to breach through the skull and felt the thick red liquid running down his forehead. The puddle of blood and almost spilling of guts caused by the surgical cut of Hannibal’s hands wielding the linoleum knife. The knife of Dolarhyde slammed through his cheek,before being thrusted beneath his shoulder. 

Will also saw how he gutted Dolarhyde with the knife he had pulled out and given him the final blow. He saw himself pummelling Randall Tier to death and dismembering the flesh to display him. 

This was his fate. Blood and gore. Violent intimacy. He was marked forever as Hannibal’s. One day ago he had submitted to this life as he rose again from the ocean.He realised while losing his consciousness another time before being brought into the operating room, he was rather bothered by the timing of the confrontation and the fight, should there be one, than of the mere fantasy.


End file.
